Cy-Ride’s need for additional funds may prompt the Government of the Student Body to eliminate funding for nonrevenue sports.

GSB Sen. Dustin Shaver, also a member of the Ames Transit Agency Board of Trustees, brought the issue to the forefront at a recent meeting.

“The [GOP] Contract With America called for a reduction in transit operation funds across the nation,” Shaver said. As a result, he said, Cy-Ride will lose $500,000.

One option to maintain current Cy-Ride services is to raise student fees by $5, but that’s not the best choice, Shaver said.

Students pay about $115 in student fees per semester. From that amount, $15.18 goes to Cy-Ride and $14.75 goes to the Athletic Department to help fund nonrevenue sports. Shaver said GSB may have to make a choice between intercollegiate athletics and Cy-Ride.

“Raising the revenue would mean that in order to have no affect on Cy-Ride systems this year, we would have to come up with $5 [more per student], which is nearly impossible,” he said. “We made the agreement with the athletic department last year to give them [an additional] $5 this year and next year to keep nonrevenue sports afloat.”

But GSB President Dan Mangan said there is no connection between funding Cy-Ride and funding nonrevenue sports.

“It’s kind of a flat argument,” he said. “People are saying if we have to choose between the two, it’s going to be the bus routes.”

GSB’s vote to increase funds allocated to the Athletic Department came last spring, when university officials said that may be the only way to save five nonrevenue sports.

However, the athletic department is now operating with a $750,000 surplus and plans to use that money for maintenance at Cyclone Stadium. The project carries a price tag of more than $1 million, Shaver said. The university is also expected to take in an extra $550,000 from a Big 12 title game.

“They are going to take that $750,000 of extra money and put it into the stadium. Their first priority is fixing the stadium. Second priority is funding the five nonrevenue generated sports,” he said. “So, if we were to drop that money, they would take the money they have into the stadium and the sports would not be saved.”

Cy-Ride and the Athletic Department are GSB’s two major expenditures, Shaver said.

“This is a big chunk of money between these two departments now. Frankly, I would support both of them,” he said. “But, it’s not going to happen without our money at Cy-Ride. This is a fundamental question the Senate is going to have to ask: Are we going to be able to keep Cy-Ride the way it is and also support the athletics?”

Robert T. Bourne, director of Cy-Ride and the Ames Transit Agency, outlined several other options that would balance Cy-Ride’s budget by cutting services.

One choice is to reduce the interval times for routes. If adopted, red, green and blue routes would run at 30- instead of 20-minute intervals during the day, and 70-minute intervals in the evenings. Another option is to eliminate the yellow, brown and purple routes. Under this option, red, green, blue and orange routes would continue to serve their regular stops seven days a week, except Oakwood Apartments and the Southdale Drive area. Passengers from apartments near Todd Drive and Thackeray Avenue would also have to use the South Dakota Avenue stop.

A final option is to drop all weekend service. There are currently no bills to reallocate funds from the Athletic Department to Cy-Ride under consideration. Cy-Ride is also funded by federal and state grants and the city of Ames.